Qualitative and quantitative examination of non-specific protein adsorption on filter membrane disks of a commercially available high throughput chromatography device

An investigation has been performed to study non-specific protein adsorption on the membrane disks used in a commercially available high throughput device. Two biotherapeutic protein molecules, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) and Transtuzumab were selected as model proteins in this study. Qualitative assessment was performed using ATR-FTIR, SEM and AFM. An empirical model based on contact angle measurement was developed for quantitative assessment of the amount of adsorbed protein. The results indicated that while significant non-specific adsorption was observed in case of highly hydrophobic GCSF molecule, adsorption was minimal in the case of Transtuzumab. The paper proposes a novel use of contact angle measurement for quantitative estimation of adsorbed protein. The study also highlights the importance of accounting for non-specific adsorption when using these HTPD devices.145